Digital Commons Network^™

The European Union’S Investment-Based Approach To Decarbonizing Its Economy, Aidan Sanchez

Student Works

No abstract provided.

What Teaching Brown Teaches Us, David Dabreau

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Setting A New Benchmark: An Exploration Of Maxwell Stearns’S Injection Of Dimensionality Into The Marks Analysis, Elisabeth Neylan

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Cryptocurrency Mining: The Downside Of Technological Innovation, Jacqueline A. Wlodarczyk

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Taking Care Of Business: An Empirical Examination Of The Top S&P 500 Companies And Their Role As Public Health Regulators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan M. O’Malley

Student Works

No abstract provided.

From Christie’S To Nifty’S: Securing The Rights Of A Future Virtual Gallery, Nicole Dlug

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Pacifism And The Science Of War: Jane Addams And Bertrand Russell On World War I, Marilyn Fischer

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In July 1915, after hearing Jane Addams speak in London on her efforts for peace during wartime, Bertrand Russell wrote to an American friend, “You can gather what I think and feel by talking to Miss Addams. She seemed to me to have exactly the same outlook as I have.” In this paper I compare how Russell and Addams used the era’s scientific theories in formulating their pacifism. After recounting Addams’s and Russell’s experiences during the war, I show how Addams and Russell accounted for civilization’s “descent into barbarism” in parallel ways. I then contrast their conceptions of what counts …

Investigation To Examine The Profile Of Auditory Brainstem And Hearing Thresholds Using Tone Burst Audiometry Brainstem Response In A Preclinical Migraine Model, Megan Huelsing

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Migraine is a disabling neurological disease that is characterized by prominent auditory symptoms, including hyperacusis, which is defined as extreme sensitivity to sounds. The goal of this study was to investigate changes in hearing sensitivity and neural changes in the brainstem by measuring neural activity of the auditory brainstem in an established preclinical model of chronic migraine. To induce a chronic migraine state within the trigeminal system, male and female Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to three known human risk factors including neck muscle tension and REM sleep deprivation that promote latent sensitization, and exposure to a pungent odor, which …

Examining The Immune Regulation Of Nlrp12 Through Novel Protein Interactions, Catherine Rippe

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are intracellular proteins that play an important role in the regulation of the innate immune response to pathogens. Since being identified, various functions for NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 12 (NLRP12) have been suggested. It has been shown to negatively regulate the inflammatory response through canonical and noncanonical NF-kB signaling pathways, control tumorigenesis and gut homeostasis and exacerbate inflammation through the formation of a multi-protein complex called an inflammasome. Due to the varying roles established for NLRP12, the mechanisms by which it functions remain poorly understood. In this study, I sought to confirm a novel protein-protein interaction …

Propagation, Physiology And Biomass Of Giant Cane (Arundinaria Gigantea) For Conservation And Restoration, Sanjeev Sharm

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) is a native species to 22 states in the U.S. The species and its ecosystem are considered critically endangered, and the species has been reduced to 2% of its original extent. The species has a long cultural and conservation history. Large canebrakes were commonly found in Missouri in bottomland forests, stream and riverbanks, and margins of lakes. My research goals were to: 1) examine methods for propagation success from field to greenhouse to field; 2) examine the physiology of cane at one of the few current canebrakes, for greenhouse propagated plants, and field planted …

Effect Of Soil Ph And Indigenous Bacterial Populations In Selecting Rhizobial Endophytes Within Soybean Root Nodules, Brianne Danielle Edwards

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Soybean plants fulfill most of their nitrogen requirement by developing symbiotic associations with four different rhizobial genera, including Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and genus Rhizobium. In general, members of Bradyrhizobium and Sinorhizobium have been reported as dominant root nodule endophytes under acidic soils and alkaline soil conditions, respectively. So far, it is unknown whether the selection of rhizobial endophytes is regulated by their ability to survive under different soil pH or driven by host plants regardless of their relative abundance in soil. This study was focused on the assessment of the potential role of soil pH in …

Nuclear Weapons In Japanese Strategic Culture, Logan Joseph Douglas Campbell

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Acquiring nuclear weapons of its own has been inconsistent with Japan’s post-Cold War strategic culture, which is heavily based on an identity and associated norms grounded in nuclear pacifism. However, Japan’s strategic culture has been evolving with changing threat perceptions, eroding international nuclear nonproliferation norms, and declining confidence in US security guarantees. As Japan’s strategic culture shifts towards a more pragmatic interpretation of its national interests, acquiring nuclear weapons may become a more easily legitimized option, one that would be entirely consistent with a remilitarized strategic culture. Scholarship on Japanese strategic culture is vast but lacks a strategic culture explanation …

Saprotrophic, Hailey Jean Pedersen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Using the foundational lens of poets like Carl Phillips and Louise Glück and philosopher Derrida, this poetry collection emphasizes the recognition and exploration of complex human experiences through the power of deconstruction. I occupy conflicting emotional spaces and multifaceted identities using the vehicle of poetry, challenging societal norms that villainize the open discussion of complex experiences like grief, sexuality, and addiction.

Yes, Baby: Essays, Amy Gault

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This creative thesis includes thirteen flash nonfiction pieces and one fiction short story exploring emotions and experiences that have changed who I am today. These writings are personal experiences or are inspired by personal experience. These creative works interrogate deeply transformative events and situations, such as familial relationships, trauma, poverty, living in the Midwest, patriarchy, and the beauty in existing. In the thesis’s critical introduction, I examine how my flash nonfiction pieces employ Milan Kundera’s theory of the appeal of play and Charles Baxter’s concept defamiliarization. I analyze how the succinct form of the flash essay allows my nonfiction writing …

Investigation Of Inflammation And Apoptosis Mediated Toxicity In Response To Metal Oxide Nanoparticles In Ml-1 And Ca77 Cancer Cell Lines, Alyse N. Peters

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are becoming more popular in today’s environment. They contribute significantly to the technologies in agriculture and food development but there is little understanding to how MONPs, including ZnO, CuO, TiO2, and SnO2, impact human health and the environment. Our growth assay revealed that none of these negatively affects viability in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In contrast, both human thyroid cancer cells (ML-1) and rat medullary thyroid cancer cells (CA77) displayed a significant reduction in viability with the treatment of CuO and ZnO. The production of ROS in these cell lines when treated with CuO and …

Between Choice And Compulsion: An Examination And Critique Of The Evolution Of 'Original Sin', Matthew James Wynn

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

“Why are we the way that we are?” is one of the hardest questions to answer because it requires grasping the origin of human beings. This has left philosophers and theologians in century-long debates on forming a “cosmogony of ontology” (i.e., how the origin of the universe informs the human condition). The concept, “original sin” was developed by a North African theologian named Augustine (354 – 430 CE). Augustine’s reading of Genesis 3, and inaccurate translation of Romans 5:12, taught that a person is born morally culpable for a fault antecedent to their existence. This way of thinking about the …

Renewable Fuels: Molecular Dynamics Investigations Into Pyrolysis Of Methyl Linoleate, Elson Osakpolor Eguaosa

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

With the rapid depletion of the world’s supply of fossil fuels, especially petroleum products, petroleum prices have risen by approximately 800% between the 1970s and now and are projected to continue rising. It is also expected that the world’s consumption of energy will increase commensurate with its growing population. Although biodiesel is a good renewable alternative, it has its limitations including high production costs and poor low-temperature performance. We seek to improve conventional biodiesel with pyrolysis to produce low molecular-weight compounds with high energy densities. Understanding the pyrolysis path on the atomic scale is key as it will allow us …

Activity Patterns Of The Critically Endangered Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys Mawii), Cora Dyslin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) is native to southern Mexico, eastern Guatemala, and Belize and is primarily restricted to watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Hunting, both for personal consumption and market meat, has been the primary driver of declines, and the species is now classified as critically endangered. Results from past studies that have used netting and visual surveys to detect D. mawii suggest that the species is chiefly nocturnal. However, it is unclear to what extent the perception of nocturnality has been biased by the timing of survey efforts …

Gender Representation In Children's Media And Preschool-Aged Girls’ Internalized Beliefs About Gender, Jessica Lindsey Kanne Atkins

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study examines patterns of gender representation through three categories (distribution, presentation, and stereotyped behaviors) in children’s media and how these patterns relate to preschool-aged girls’ internalized beliefs about gender. Both historical and presently available children’s media tends to display high levels of stereotypical gender representation. By preschool age, children have already developed distinctions between boys and girls, and hold internalized beliefs regarding gender. The objective of the current study is to examine the relationship between these two factors. To accomplish this, preschool-aged girls were interviewed to assess their internalized beliefs about gender. Their caregivers completed questionnaires related to …

Relationship Of Resilience With Well-Being And Loneliness In Individuals With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Krysta Young

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Resilience research has evolved from interest in understanding why some people thrive despite early adversities (Davino, 2013) to explain people’s adaptability when faced with challenge or adversity (Karaırmak & Figley, 2017). It has three components: adaptability, ability to succeed despite poor expectations, and persistent engagement instead of avoidance (Werner-Wilson et al., 2000), and is impacted by the severity of adversity, trait characteristics, and environmental characteristics (Chung, 2008). Resilience is a predictor of psychological well-being (Miranda & Cruz, 2022), is negatively correlated with loneliness (Tan et al., 2021), and while resilience is a protective factor against anxiety and depression (Cusack et …

Material Appearance Modeling For Physically Based Rendering, Alexis Benamira

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Photorealistic rendering focuses on creating images with a computer that imitates pictures of reallife scenes as faithfully as possible. To achieve this, rendering algorithms require incorporating accurate modeling of how light interacts with various types of matter. For most objects, this model needs to account for the scattering of the light rays. However, this model falls short when rendering objects of sizes smaller or comparable to the wavelength of the incident light. In this case, new phenomena such as diffraction or interference are observed and have been characterized in optics. Digital rendering of those phenomena involve different light representations than …

Infrastructuring The Digital Public Sphere, Julie E. Cohen

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The idea of a "public sphere"--a shared, ideologically neutral domain where ideas and arguments may be shared, encountered, and contested--serves as a powerful imaginary in legal and policy discourse, informing both assumptions about how public communication works and ideals to which inevitably imperfect realities are compared. In debates about feasible and legally permissible content governance mechanisms for digital platforms, the public sphere ideal has counseled attention to questions of ownership and control rather than to other, arguably more pressing questions about systemic configuration. This essay interrogates such debates through the lens of infrastructure, with particular reference to the ways that …

Didactic Recommendations For Teaching About Integrated Care In Human Services Addiction Education, Kristy Carlisle, Mary Mccloskey

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This article presents didactic activities and recommendations to implement in human services addiction education that uses Transformative Learning Theory to teach about integrated care approaches that are associated with improved client outcomes. Authors discuss learners’ attitudes and beliefs towards addiction and evidence-based treatment exploring traditional, evidence-based, and holistic treatment practices and experiential learning and reflection. The innovative goal of this article is to advocate for addiction education that expands learners’ belief systems so that they are more open to integrated care options that cater to each individual they treat.

Aortic Remodeling Kinetics In Response To Coarctation-Induced Mechanical Perturbations, Arash Ghorbannia, Mehdi Maadooliat, Ronald K. Woods, Said H. Audi, Brandon J. Tefft, Claudio Chiastra, El Sayed H. Ibrahim, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA; constriction of the proximal descending thoracic aorta) is among the most common congenital cardiovascular defects. Coarctation-induced mechanical perturbations trigger a cycle of mechano-transduction events leading to irreversible precursors of hypertension including arterial thickening, stiffening, and vasoactive dysfunction in proximal conduit arteries. This study sought to identify kinetics of the stress-mediated compensatory response leading to these alterations using a preclinical rabbit model of CoA.

Methods: A prior growth and remodeling (G&R) framework was reformulated and fit to empirical measurements from CoA rabbits classified into one control and nine CoA groups of various severities …

One Size Does Not Fit All: Alternatives To The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Henry Zhuhao Wang

Scholarly Publications

The Federal Rules of Evidence have been so successful that many people easily equate them to the whole field of evidence law. But this is a false equivalence. Our world is complicated, diversified, and dynamic. So too is evidence law, which is like a rainforest in which the Federal Rules are simply the largest tree, not a forest unto themselves. In fact, the Federal Rules of Evidence are limited in their applicability due to three fundamental assumptions: the presence of a jury trial, an adversarial process, and witness oral testimony.

This article illustrates the dominance of the Federal Rules of …

Ansc 5283 Horse Production, Jordan Shore

Animal Science Archival Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Ansc 4282 Horse Production, Jordan Shore

Animal Science Archival Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Patellofemoral Contact Forces And Knee Gait Mechanics 3 Months After Acl Reconstruction Are Associated With Cartilage Degradation 24 Months After Surgery, J. R. Williams, Kelsey Neal, Abdulmajeed Alfayyadh, Jacob J. Capin, Ashutosh Khandha, Kurt Manal, Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Thomas S. Buchanan

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: Evaluate patellofemoral cartilage health, as assessed by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) T₂ relaxation times, 24-months after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and determine if they were associated with patellofemoral contact forces and knee mechanics during gait 3 months after surgery.

Design: Thirty individuals completed motion analysis during overground walking at a self-selected speed 3 months after ACLR. An EMG-driven neuromusculoskeletal model was used to determine muscle forces, which were then used in a previously described model to estimate patellofemoral contact forces. Biomechanical variables of interest included peak patellofemoral contact force, peak knee flexion angle and moment, and walking speed. …

Covid-19 Vaccination And Alcohol Consumption: Justification Of Risks, Pavel A. Solopov

Bioelectrics Publications

Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, pharmaceutical companies and research institutions have been actively working to develop vaccines, and the mass roll-out of vaccinations against COVID-19 began in January 2021. At the same time, during lockdowns, the consumption of alcoholic beverages increased. During the peak of vaccination, consumption remained at high levels around the world, despite the gradual relaxation of quarantine restrictions. Two of the popular queries on search engines were whether it is safe to drink alcohol after vaccination and whether this will affect the effectiveness of vaccines. Over the past two …

Evaluation Of Cold Atmospheric Plasma For The Decontamination Of Flexible Endoscopes, R. C. Hervé, Michael G. Kong, Sudhir Bhatt, Hai-Lan Chen, E. E. Comoy, J-P. Deslys, T. J. Secker, C. W. Keevil

Bioelectrics Publications

Background: Despite adherence to standard protocols, residues including live microorganisms may remain on the various surfaces of reprocessed flexible endoscopes. Prions are infectious proteins notoriously difficult to eliminate.

Aim: We tested the potential of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) for the decontamination of flexible endoscope various surfaces, measuring total proteins and prion-residual infectivity as an indicator of efficacy.

Methods: New PTFE endoscope channels and metal test surfaces spiked with test soil or prion-infected tissues were treated using different CAP-generating prototypes. Surfaces were then examined for the presence of residues using very sensitive fluorescence epi-microscopy. Prion residual infectivity was determined using the …